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CAL F HOUS ING
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
21
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
Ian adds: ‘Feed conversion efficiency is
highest in calves - around 60%, and then it
falls as the animal gets older. Above 12
months of age, cows are only 10% efficient
at feed conversion. So getting young animals
off to a good start is the most efficient spend
of money.’
The shed's ventilation relies on body heat
from the calves warming the air which rises
out through a roof vent. Fresh air is then
drawn into the shed from the walls - there is
a six-inch gap between the concrete panels
and corrugated tin wall panels.
Ian points out: ‘Air flow in the shed is better
when it's fuller, as it's quite a big space.
With a low number of calves, there wouldn't
be the heat created to cause the air to rise
and pull in fresh air from around the sides of
the building. So there has been the odd case
of pneumonia here, although Sheila is always
quick to treat it.’
Calves stay in their groups until weaning at
three months, and are then moved, still as a
group of eight, into an open-sided shed.
James explains: ‘In the old shed there was
always a scours issue because we couldn't
clean the shed properly. But now, after a bay
of calves moves on, the pens are mucked
out, washed and left clean and dry for a
while. There are usually two bays empty at
a time. This has taken away the continuous
disease pressure.’
The new build has its own supply of hot and
cold water. In fact, there's no need to go
outside at all, everything that is required for
rearing the calves is under the one roof.
James had vowed that when they constructed
the shed, that it would be absolutely right.
So is it
?
‘Yes, and when the Gold Cup
judges came and looked around our farm last
year, one of them said to me 'I want your
shed!' More importantly, Mum's still looking
after the calves!’
Good colostrum
management
Ian adds: ‘Another factor which has
ensured good calf health is the colostrum
management of newborn calves. James
calves every cow, and straightaway
takes the calf away to its new pen, not
letting it suckle its dam. All calves are
then given three to four litres of their
dam's colostrum within the first six
hours of birth.
‘If a newborn calf is left with its dam
to suckle for the colostrum without
intervention, then it will take 45 minutes
to suckle just two litres of milk. And that's
assuming it's able to stand and suckle
continuously for that time.
‘However, the quantity consumed in
the first feed of a calf's life is important,
because after that the colostrum
absorption sites start to shut down.
So James is taking the right approach
- taking the calf away, milking its dam
and then returning to give it a single
feed of three litres of milk in the first few
hours. This is better than lots of short
feeds when the calf is left on its dam.’
Ian Cure demonstrates the clear space available
in the new calf shed
The new calf shed enables everything needed to
rear calves to be under one roof
Calf pens have straw across the top
Contented calves